The Wager
by Tie4
Summary: Pride makes people do all sorts of things. Story set in those notorious three years. VegetaxBulma.
1. Chocolate Icing and Bet Beginnings

**Hello! Just a quick note to explain that this is not only my first DBZ fanfic, but that I didn't really discover the story until just recently. Of course, I've heard of the series, but I never thought I would like it until I was show the DBZ abridged series by TFS on Youtube. After watch all the episodes I really started to want to know the characters, and that's when I found this couple. Now…I am sadly and completely hooked (as my boyfriend will testify) and just HAD to write something. So if the characters are a bit OC, please forgive me, for I am ignorant and a fool! Thank you so much for reading and please enjoy!**

-Disclaimer: I do not own much, least of all DBZ.

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**The Wager**

Chapter 1: Chocolate frosting and bets beginnings

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"I love you and…would you marry me?"

"Oh Pete, darling!"

"Lucky prick." Bulma growled through a spoonful of chocolate icing. It was late and she was sitting on the couch, looking quite miserable with red eyes, the icing container and a spoon. She had just broken it off with Yamcha a few hours ago after she caught him making out with some girl in a restaurant. The girl was thrilled to see her and gave her some trash that Yamcha was in love with her now and to back off, while Yamcha tried his best to explain that 'it wasn't what it looked like'.

Like it ever was with him.

"I see you are getting fat again."

Bulma rolled her eyes and continued to stare at the chick flick she was watching; completely ignoring the Saiyan Prince standing at the door way of the living room. When had he come in anyway?

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked, stabbing her spoon back into the small container of icing.

"Long enough to be thankful that I have more important matters on hand then eating sweets and watching stupid stories." He answered with a smirk. This time she glared at him. He was wearing his workout shorts and his toned body was glistening from sweat. She wasn't surprised; she hadn't seen him since 9:00 am, three days ago. Bulma was surprised at how little she actually saw of the Saiyan. When she had invited him to stay at her place until the androids came, she was at first worried that she would have to deal with him twenty-four-seven, but in the past five months she had seen him only when he was commanding something of her. Otherwise he seemed to avoid everyone in Capsule Corp.

Except when there was a good opportunity to pick on her that is.

"Leave me alone, I'm not in the mood." She whined, shoving the frosting into her mouth and went back to watching her movie. She wanted comfort darn it, not to deal with a bratty prince!

"Oh yes," He mused, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. "How silly of me to not have realized that you are mourning the emotional loss of that scar-faced mate of yours."

Genuinely surprised she looked up at him. After a moment of staring at that smirk of his, she swallowed the frosting and cocked her head to the side.

"Who told you?"

He scoffed, "Don't be stupid woman, no one did. You do this every time you 'break up' with the weakling."

Bulmas face heated up to a nice blush, which she quickly covered up in anger. "Oh like you would know!"

"You usually end the conversation with him, using the word 'Jerk'." Vegeta started with a roll of his eyes, "Then you either slam the door, or throw your phone against the wall and start cursing. A half an hour later you break down into tears and listen to music. After this does not satisfy you, you head to the kitchen and take your chocolate fat and a spoon then you sit down here and watch some forsaken story about two humanoids confessing their love for one another. After which you then proceed to fall asleep, where your mother finds you and brings you to your chambers for the remainder of the evening."

She stared blankly at him for a good minute before she realized her jaw had dropped. Quickly fixing herself, her blush came back with vengeance and she curled up in the couch defensively.

"Creeper." She muttered.

"I am Vegeta, prince of Saiyans, I do not 'creep'." He answered her matter-of-factly, "You humans are a creatures of habit. This is the fifth time since my arrival that you have done this activity of yours."

"Whatever." She said with a sigh, closing her eyes. "This time will be the last time. I'm really through him Yamcha now-"

She was suddenly cut off by Vegetas strong laughter; making her already tattered pride start to become violent.

"What are you laughing at?" She snapped.

"You, what else?" He said, still chuckling.

Enraged, Bulma shot up from her spot on the couch and stormed over to the prince, stopping about a foot away from him. She absentmindedly wished she was a little taller so she didn't have to look up at the prick.

"And what exactly is so funny about me?" She nearly screamed. His smirk widened and gave her a smug look.

"You? Completely detaching yourself from that sorry excuse for a warrior? Please, give it a week, you'll be back in his arms giggling and spouting all sorts of nonsense about weddings and children. I guarantee it. Then a month or two from now you'll be sitting in the exact same spot you were a moment ago, getting fatter by the second."

Unable to believe what she was hearing she screamed, "How DARE you-" only to be cut off again by the Saiyan.

"Not that you deserve anything less." He mused aloud again, suddenly becoming interested in the doorframe. "After all if you picked a low rate clown as your mate, you deserve the punishment for such a poor decision."

"Oh, because there are so many better options!" She yelled, her hands flying up into the air in exasperation.

"Why yes, take me for instance."

She froze in mid word as his words sunk in. They both stood there, staring at one another, before Bulma broke the silence.

"HAA!"

Nearly doubling over in laughter Bulma couldn't believe that, of all people in the universe, Vegeta believed himself to be more romantic then Yamcha. Trying to recover from the fit of laughter, she saw through her tears that his proud smirk had vanished and was replaced with an un-amused frown.

"Did you find something humorous, pest?"

She slowly righted herself, holding her hands to her stomach and tried to breath.

"Y-you? Seriously…?"

"Of course me!" He growled, his humor completely gone now. She noted that he was standing now, and at his complete height. Her scientific mind told her he was showing the 'back off or die' signs and that she should probably leave. But her pride told her that his stance meant she was getting to him.

She sighed with a smile and shook her head, "Oh PLEASE Vegeta, we both know you don't have a romantic bone in your body. You couldn't get to first base a woman you paid for, let alone anyone with a personality. You are as romantic as a pit bull with rabies."

"Are you doubting my ability to win a mate?" He asked, his voice dangerously low and his glare intensified to rage. Ignoring the flashing lights and red flags that were telling her to flee for her life, she laughed and poked a finger into his chest.

"Oh buddy, I think 'doubt' is an understatement."

"I will have you know," He said, his eye twitching in anger and his hands tightening into fists, "That I was considered one of the most wanted mates on many planets, not including the women under Freezas command. I had hundreds of women at my beckon call-"

"Oh? And how many of them did you date?" She asked, cutting him off with a smirk. Vegeta opened his mouth, then paused and snapped it shut, looking away. That's what she thought. Her pride satisfied, she was about to say so when she saw a smug smirk began to spread across Vegetas lips.

Confused where this new found smugness had come from she cocked an eyebrow at him. He then chuckled and his body visibly relaxed from his stance.

"What?" She spat, her pride starting to fear for its footing. His dark eyes locked onto hers for a moment, before he closed them.

"Let us play a game." He said. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What like Uno?"

"It's more like a wager." He purred, opening his eyes and taking a step towards her. "I bet you that in one years' time, I can make you fall madly in love with me."

She laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the idea, "Oh, right, like that's ever-"

"There will be no restrictions as far as you're concerned." He continued, "You may even get back together with that scar-faced buffoon of yours, I honestly could care less. But do not be surprised when, at the end of the year, I have you begging on your knees for me."

His last words silenced any rational thought in her brain as her pride cried out for vengeance. Her body planted itself in reaction and she tilted her head up in a smug fashion.

"Not even in your dreams, jerk."

He smirked, "No your right," he stepped right up to her, their faces barely inches apart, "but you will be in yours."

"What's the stakes?" She asked, ignoring his last comment. She was better than him, she was Bulma Breifs for goodness sakes. He would NOT get to her.

"If I win, you must do everything I command, exactly when I say it." He answered, dropping his hands from his chest down to his hips, "No more of this refusing to come when I call or pushing the GR repairs later because of your silly work."

"Fine." She answered shortly, "And if I win you never boss me around ever again. And you will call me by my name."

"Your terms are agreeable." He said, his smirk growing. "It is a game then?"

"Oh you bet, it's on now princey." She hissed. She turned to leave when she suddenly found herself pushed roughly against the far wall of the living room, Vegetas hands wrapped around her small wrists. She couldn't help but gasp as he leaned in close to her, so they were staring eye to eye. It was then she saw the amusement dancing in his dark eyes. He then leaned in and at first she thought he was going to kiss her, but he moved towards her ear and whispered with a smile,

"Good. Because if I'm not mistaken (and I rarely am) I win this round."

With that he let her go and left without another word. She stood there, completely stunned, and then realized that because she was stunned, he was right. Growling in frustration, she grabbed the half empty container of frosting and went to return it to the fridge.

What had she just signed up for?


	2. Of Doors and Traps

**Wow, thank you for all the reviews! I'm really grateful for the responses, they really do help! Here's the next chapter, way ahead of schedule, but I had today off work so I had time to waste. This is one of the shorter chapters I have planned, so sorry it's a bit lacking. Next one will be longer though, I'm excited for it. Thank you again and I hope you enjoy this next one!**

-Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ, but if Vegeta's up for grabs, I'll take him *wink*

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**The Wager**

Chapter 2: Of Doors and Traps

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Slam!

"No…"

Slam!

"No…"

Slam!

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU INSUFERABLE WOMAN!"

To say that things had gone smoothly today would be the greatest overstatement of the century. Vegeta had gotten little to no sleep the night before, trying to make up in training for the time that he would miss today to defend his pride against the stupid blue haired female. However when the time came for him to put his plans into motion, the woman was nowhere to be found. He had check the obvious spots, the kitchen, the living room, the lab, her bedroom, but found nothing of the demon woman. He then resorted to finding humans to ask for her whereabouts, but the only responses he received were "Sorry, I haven't a clue" or "No, she hasn't been around." He even had sunk so low as to track down her father, in hopes that perhaps he would know, but the old man was just as confused as he was.

"Well her works done, but I can't seem to find her anywhere." Mr. Briefs answered while installing a chip into a strange piece of machinery, "She was supposed to meet me for lunch but never showed. If you do find her, let her know that I would like a report on the project she just finished for the military."

And that was it. The woman either had died or become invisible. The thought of asking her mother did cross his mind, but was quickly shot down with a shiver of disgust. He figured the longer he could keep away from the one called 'Bunny' the better his life would be. It was very difficult to alarm the Prince of Sayians…

…but THAT female was just downright unnerving.

At any rate the only thing left to do was search the premises, door by door. Much to the staff of Capsual Corps dismay he had opened every door (be it bathroom or lab room) and scanned for blue hair. He had found many interesting things, as well as two couples having sexual interactions in closets, but nothing that showed any signs of the blue female. Even with his super speed, the slow process of opening every door had taken him three hours, with no success. Now, he had moved on to the Briefs home, in hopes that maybe she had returned.

This did not seem to be the case. He had just closed the last door on the second level and was about to blow the entire place to dust when a voice carried through the hallway.

"Is everything alright deary?"

A cold chill ran down his spine as the sugar coated sound seemed to penetrate his soul. Vegeta had been so engrossed in his rage that he hadn't noticed Mrs. Briefs enter the hallway behind him. His eyes frantically searched for an exit but the doors surrounding him were only spare bedrooms. He was trapped.

"U-uh…" He managed, licking his lips nervously and turned to face the devil herself. She looked extra happy today; her eyes crinkled in crescent moons and that permanent smile plastered to her face. He gulped, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to rise. "I am in search for your…daughter." He voiced, trying to mask his discomfort. However she was seriously creeping him out and he needed to get out of there!

"Oh my, didn't she tell you?" She giggled, waving his words away with one hand and bringing the other to her lips. "Chi chi called her this morning and asked if she wanted to go shopping with her for the day!"

This new news caused many a vein to pop out along his forehead as he growled low. Oh, he understood now. The brat probably did this on purpose, leaving him to waste hours looking for her while she ran off with Kakarots woman. That little wench, he was going to give her a piece of his mind-

"Although she did just arrive home, you probably could catch her before she gets to bed." Mrs. Briefs added with a nod. This derailed his train of thought and he gave the eerie woman a blank look.

"You mean she's here?"

"Oh yes, silly me, I forgot to mention!" The taller woman said, "She just arrived not five minutes ago, but since it's so late she said she wanted to go straight to be-"

Before she could finish her words Vegeta flew past her and down the stairs. Upon reaching the green door labeled "Bulmas room" He gave a sigh of relief to finally be rid of the mother. Then, when his frustration had fully come back to him, he burst through the door.

"WHERE on this sad excuse for a planet have you be-"

The words died in his mouth as his eyes registered the sight in front of him. Standing in the light green painted room, next to the bed was Bulma. This would normally be fine had she not been in the middle of pulling off a red tee-shirt. They stared at each other in shock before he lowered his head, closed his eyes and gave a frustrated growl. Unable to hide the blush that rose to his cheeks, he spun on his heal and stormed out the door. Once he was completely out of the room he slammed the door shut and turned to face its green countenance.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WOMAN?"

"YOU PERVERT, HASN'T ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU TO KNOCK BEFORE YOU OPEN DOORS?"

"I AM NOT A PERVERT!" He yelled, glaring holes through the door. "This is YOUR fault! Where have you been?"

"What's it matter to YOU?" She screamed, the door absorbing some of the sound. "Since WHEN do I have to report to you when I want to go do something? I have a life Vegeta, unlike SOMEONE I know!"

'You won't when I rip your voice box out and shove it into your spleen' He mused, but bit back the comment. No, he had to stay in control. The game was still in play and he would NOT be bested. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, he would not be beat by some idiot human!

"Fine then, when would be a GOOD time to meet with you?" He growled loudly through his teeth.

"Oh I don't know…" She mused sarcastically, "My schedule is really PACKED this year, maybe sometime after then!"

He was about to retort when a realization hit him. A year from now? Translated, that meant when the game was finished. This implies that until then she would continue to avoid him until the game was done and she would win by default.

She was running.

This new piece of information caused him to smirk. 'Well good.' He thought 'She should be.' He chuckled at this whole venture and stretched his arms over his head. If she was going to continue to run for him then all he needed her to do was run straight into a trap that he, the warrior genius, would create for her. It was just too simple.

"Fine then, two can play this game." He said through the door, then turned and walked away. He couldn't help but chuckle as he heard the door open slightly and felt her eyes fall on him.

'Run all you want.' He mused with a smile, 'but no one escapes Vegeta.'


	3. Hitchhiking and Mass

**Hello again! Well, when I said this chapter would be longer, it was truer than I expected. I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter, so I'm excited to hear your thoughts! Review if you can, otherwise enjoy!**

Disclaimer-I don't own DBZ or anything else, but perhaps this laptop.

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**The Wager.**

Chapter three: Hitchhiking and Mass

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Three weeks.

Three weeks of silence from Vegeta and it was starting to creep her out. Not that she was upset for the lack of the annoying prince's presence, she was thoroughly enjoying it! Almost an entire month had passed since they started this little game of theirs and he hadn't forced himself on her since the time he barged into her room. But she couldn't help the nagging feeling that this was the calm before the storm. Vegeta was plotting something, and she wasn't about to sit around and wait for the bomb to drop; so she kept herself busy.

In some ways this whole thing was good for her. She had gotten more work done in the last month the she had ever done in three and, with no boy to add drama, she was sort of happy! With so much getting done and more time to hang with girl friends she was feeling much more confident and fulfilled. This whole 'avoiding Vegeta' mission had done her more good than she ever imagined it would!

No, it wasn't the fact that she didn't seem him that freaked her out, but what did concern her was that he didn't even seem to care! Life with the Saiyan prince almost seemed to go back to how it was before the wager started; seeing him only at a few meals a week and sometimes at night, but now when he needed something fixed he went to her father instead of her. He was planning something. She knew it! But…what?

Well, as she said before, she wasn't going to just sit around and wait. Luckily today, she had a meeting in the city to approve some selling strategies and get monthly reports and that would take up most of the day. Wearing a turquoise blouse with a black pencil skirt, jacket to match and black stilettos, she left with a coffee at around 9:00 in her capsule car to the city. When she got there she parked in the VIP section, right outside the doors of the skyscraper labeled: "Capsule Corporation". Glancing in the rearview mirror at her complexion she smiled, then left into the building. Upon entry she was greeted by she was greeted by the receptionist, who led her to the conference room on the twelfth floor. A smirk grew silently on her face as she caught many heads turn upon her passing.

Ha! She still had it. Eat that Yamcha!

The rest was boring to say the least. She arrive at the conference room, waited for a few more members to join them, then they got underway. It turned into a longer meeting then originally planned, ending roughly till 4:30. She was happy to leave when they finally concluded. Not that she didn't mind doing this part of the job, it was fun to feel important, but she didn't like office buildings. The smell and the cramped spaces made her feel like she needed to run and do cartwheels in the parking lot when she was done. She often blamed that on all the adventures she suffered through with the Z worriers. Once you hung out with them every day life seemed so dull. So as soon as she gave her final handshakes and said farewells she quickly made her way to the elevator and out the office doors.

However she nearly tripped on her heals upon the sight that greeted her. Sitting where her capsule car USED to be sat a huge pile of steaming scrap metal. Smoke billowed from under the hood and the once red paint was now covered in black soot. A small fire emitted from what looked like the seats in side, but the gaping hole directly in the middle of the car made it hard to tell what was what now. She dropped her brief case in shock and ran up to the car.

"No! Oh my gosh, what in the world-"

"Oh my goodness, would you look at that." Said a low, amused voice from behind her. It was then that all the paranoia and suspicions that had been hanging over her head for the past three weeks suddenly came crashing down on her as she comprehended the situation. Anger erupted inside her as she whirled around to see the man she momentarily loathed, leaning against the buildings wall, arms crossed and watching her smugly.

"VEGETA, WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO TO MY CAR?"

His eyes widened and gave her a sarcastically shocked look. "Me? Why you've got it all wrong woman! It was horrible; you really should have seen it."

Enraged she couldn't even roll her eyes at his charade. Planting her feet she glared holes into the prince as he pushed himself off the wall and moseyed over to her.

"Really it was a spectacular show on the culprits' part." He continued, his smirk never faltering, "This man came from nowhere and began throwing Ki blasts at your car and at an unbelievable level. I swear, I've never seen anything like it. Naturally, being such a GOOD person, I dispatched of the man just before you exited this strange structure."

She just glared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. He was being sarcastic her!

"Vegeta, this is INEXCUSABLE!" She screamed, causing the gathering crowd to pick up a few more members. "You can't just blow up my car, how am I supposed to get home?"

He looked up at the sky. "Hmmm, that is a good question. Ah! Wait I have an idea!" He then leaned close to her, placing his hands in his pockets. "How about I give you a ride?"

She blinked, and then growled, "No!"

He stared at her, and then shrugged and began to walk away. "Ah well then fine, so be it. Have fun walking."

"Ha, jokes on you!" She yelled after him with a smirk. "See on THIS planet we have things called Cell Phones to contact people when jerks like YOU wreak people's cars!"

"You mean that contraption that you left in the car?" He shouted over his shoulder. She stopped and considered his words. Crap, she had left it in the car so no one would interrupt her during the meeting!

That IDIOT!

"Hope those shoes are accurate attire for such a hike!" He called with a chuckle. She gave a cry in frustration and stomped her foot, making a loud snap. After a few moments of feuming she looked up and noticed the crowd that had gathered.

"What are you looking at?" She screamed. The crowd quickly dispersed and left her alone with her options. She could always call home from the office building, but who knows how long it would take to get a ride out here. Plus she hated being a bother to her dad…

Not seeing much of a choice, she glared up at Vegetas retreating form. Well. It couldn't be all that bad. And besides, this was his first move to "woo" her (albeit blowing up her car was NOT on her 'turns me on' list) since she started avoiding him and she had to admit, she was a bit curious at what Vegeta had planned…

"Fine." She whined with a roll of her eyes and a sigh. Glancing over at the prick, she noticed that he has stopped and was looking back at her. Glaring at him for a few seconds more, she straightened herself with dignity and began to walk towards him. Once she was a few feet away he turned to fully face her with a smirk.

"Change your mind?"

"I just decided to humor you." She said, crossing her arms, trying to keep as much poise as possible.

"Hnn..." He answered, his smirk growing, then he turned and continuing forward again. She blinked, and then walked after him.

"Well?"

He glanced back at her, "Well what?"

She frowned, "Aren't you taking me home?"

He shrugged and looked forward again. "Perhaps later."

Her glare was back as she caught up to his speed and walked on his right side. "What do you mean later? Vegeta, I've got work to do-"

"Did I mention, your father said for me to tell you, great job on getting ahead of schedule." He cut in, his leer forming again. "I'm not surprised; you have been busy these days. It looks like my work ethic has rubbed off on you."

She snorted at that and shook her head. "Right because you are such a prime example."

That swiped the grin off his face, and she fought to keep it from growing on hers. It was amazing the response you could get by simply poking at his ego.

"I have excellent work ethic." He argued. "Much better than any of those other idiots, including Kakarot."

"If you mean killing yourself before the androids get her, then yeah, you got that down pact." She said with a laugh. "Seriously Vegeta, I can't believe you've made it this far without your body just collapsing into a pile of goo. You might as well cut off your arms and legs, it might be healthier then the training you put yourself through."

"If you are referring to when the Gravity chamber collapsed under my GREAT power, it simply caught me off guard, and I was FINE woman." He growled. "You humans just don't understand the sacrifice needed to succeed. If I want to become stronger then Kakarot then stopping because its hurts a little is out of the question."

She watched him for a moment, but he did not meet her gaze. Knowing she wasn't going to win this one she sighed and shook her head.

"Whatever, just no breaking yourself until the androids come."

"Hmm, I'm afraid that's impossible, Saiyans don't 'break'." He answered, his grin returning again. She rolled her eyes and finally asked the question that was nagging at the back of her mind.

"Um, Vegeta," She looked around the city, trying to get her bearings, "If we aren't going home, then where exactly ARE we going?"

His grin widened widened and she couldn't help but notice that his back got straighter.

"Well you see woman, I've been doing some research..." He purred. She cocked an eyebrow and watched as his ego seemed to double. "…And in my research I've learned of a place that females on this planet can't seem to get enough of."

Bulmas mind flashed to candle lit restaurants and clubs downtown with neon lights as the suspense wrapped itself around her. She looked up expectantly, waiting to hear this destination that he had put so much effort into finding.

"The Mass." He said, looking back at her.

All the suspense fell like cold turkey and her expression changed to completely confused. Since when was Vegeta catholic?

"We're going to church on a Tuesday?" She asked attempting to clarify. His ego dropped just as hard as the suspense had and he returned her confused look.

"What, no! I said we're going to the mass."

"What do you mean THE mass?" She asked, slipping into her problem solving mode. He stared at her for a moment, the stopped walking and started digging into his pocket. She stopped and waited for him. He then pulled out what looked like a page from a magazine and started to read it.

"You read English?" She asked, honestly surprised as she peered at the page. It was torn from a teenager's magazine.

"Of course I can, I am well versed in hundreds of languages." He stated like a fact of life, "Yours here is simple enough. Ah! Here it is the mall!"

She stared at him, and then doubled over laughing. Vegeta jumped slightly at her sudden response, but quickly covered it up with a glare.

"What is so funny Woman?"

"You said we were going to mass!" Bulma managed through breaths. The blush that started to rise in his cheeks only made her laugh more.

"T-they are almost the same word!" He yelled, crossing his arms defensively. "Might as well be the same thing!"

This only proved to make her laugh more, which only made him more embarrassed. "Oh then pray tell me what's so different between the two words?" He asked, his voice low, but she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. After a moment he gave a frustrated growl, and then leaned back against the building that they were passing, waiting for her to recover. Many giggle fits and long breaths later; Bulma finally recovered enough to walk straight.

"T-that…that's just too funny." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Are you quite through?" He sneered. With a smile and a nod from her, he pushed off the wall and they continued walking.

"In summary," He restarted with a slight growl, "I did some research and learned that the women on this planet greatly enjoy this activity. Am I wrong?"

She thought for a moment. Actually, he was quite right. She really did enjoy shopping, even though she hadn't gone in a while. Yamcha always hated being dragged to the mall, and she never liked going alone. Plus her closet WAS running low on the newest season styles…why not take advantage of the Saiyan for a bit?

"No, you're right." She said with a nod, "I've been meaning to go anyways."

A few minutes later they arrived at one of the biggest malls in the country. Its large glass windows shimmered in the setting sun and music could be heard from inside. Upon entering Bulma had to stop because Vegeta suddenly did. Looking up at him, his eyes were taking in the enormous building, with all its lights, sounds, smells and people. Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment in concern, wondering if he would be okay with so many humans around.

"Vegeta?"

He looked around a bit more, and then looked back at her, his face unreadable. She cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away. "Um, you okay?"

"O-of course I am." He said, but the arrogance behind his voice was gone. She bit her lip and was about to suggest they do something else when he suddenly started moving again, which she quickly followed.

"Tell me woman," He said as she fell in step with him, "What exactly does one DO at a mass?"

"Mall."

"Whatever, answer the question." He growled. She giggled and placed her hands behind her back.

"What, you came here not knowing what a mall is?"

She noticed his lip twitch down in a frown before looking away. She guessed that meant no. Rolling her eyes, she explained,

"Well it's a building full of shop owners. People come here so they can get things from multiple stores, giving the store owners more business than if they had their own building."

"How bizarre…" The Saiyan mumbled, his eyes trying to keep up with all that was happening around him. The mall wasn't as nearly packed as it could have been, but Bulma wondered if Vegeta had ever been in such a big crowd of people before. Biting the inside of her cheek she resisted a smile then turned to face the mall.

"We need a plan of attack!" She stated, placing her hands on her hips. She could almost feel Vegetas ears perk up at her last word, so she quickly corrected, "No not a real battle plan, don't even." She mentally pulled the mall map from her memories and highlighted all of her favorite stores. Then, after two minutes she nodded and faced him again.

"Alright." She began, "As the man on this date you have two obligations." To prove her point she held up two fingers. "ONE you follow me wherever I go understood? I don't want you getting out of my sight because there's no telling what trouble you'll get into if you do! TWO, you are the designated pack mule. If I hand you a bag you hold onto it until I tell you otherwise, got it?"

She could see him grinding his teeth at her demands, but he said nothing and looked away; making her almost scream in happiness. Ha! Now he knew how SHE felt when he bossed HER around!

"Whatever woman, let's get this over with." He grumbled, crossing his arms. With a smug smirk, she turned on her heal and began to go through with her battle plan.

Things went surprisingly smooth after that. Bulma, followed closely by Vegeta quickly made their way to every one of her favorite stores; comparing prices, finding sales and purchasing clothes. It was here that she remembered how much fun this was and how much she missed doing this on a regular basis. She was having such a good time in fact, that she even forgot about her poor capsule car! Trying on clothes and finding great deals seemed to lift the stress of work and Yamcha off her shoulders for a few hours. It really felt nice…

…But she wouldn't let him know that.

"Alright, there are two more stores I want to hit on this level," She stated, more to herself then to him, "Then I think we can call it a day! I'm sure you're probably regretting that you brought me here anyway, right?" She turned with a smirk but it vanished when she noticed he was not directly behind her anymore. Instead he was standing a few feet back, looking up through the glass at a manikin in the window. Surprised, she quietly walked towards him and looked up to see what he was looking at.

The store was a men's clothing store with a black and white logo and glass doors. The manikin directly in front of them sported a pair of dark jeans with a white tee shirt. Over top of the tee was a black, leather jacket with a gold zipper. Glancing back and forth, she noticed he was staring at the jacket.

Unable to stop herself she gave his appearance an overview. He was currently wearing the only human cloths he owned; being the pink BADMAN shirt, some yellow pants and green shoes. To say the scene in front of her looked simply pathetic would be an understatement. There stood Vegeta, holding eight bags and three boxes of clothes, looking like he got his own from a dumpster, staring pitifully at a stylish manikin as if it were taunting him. This just had to be remedied.

Powerless to stop the smile that formed on her face she sighed and shook her head. Her sound quickly snapped him back to reality and he resumed his grumpy look. She then signaled for him to put down the bags. Confused, he obeyed and she pulled out a capsule and activated it. Once all her things were safely inside she placed it in her pocket, then placed her hands on her hips, staring at him. Unsure what these actions meant, he just stared at her back.

"Alright, your turn."

She smirked at the confusion that suddenly swept through his face as she opened the door to the shop and went in. Hesitantly, he followed.

Bulma never took him as a man of style, but once he found his footing in the store, she couldn't help but be impressed. He seemed to skip anything light weight or flimsy items and instead went for more durable clothing. He picked up the jacket in the window, a set of dark and light jeans, and some white, blue, red and black cotton tee-shirts. They then visited a few more places, completing his purchases with a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of black boots, sweat pants and hoodie, some long sleeved cotton shirts and some black gloves that he fancied. Once he was finished he was back to being grumpy, but this time she could sense that it was more of an act then an actuality. Although he wore the frown, his eyes seemed to shine a bit more than before. Thus she couldn't be mad at him when he told her that if she wanted to stay alive for more than three years he needed to take them home. Once she had placed his purchases in a second capsule, and then walked out of the mall and into the street. Once there, it dawned on her.

"You have to fly me!"

"That's correct woman." He growled, not waiting for her permission before grabbing her around the waist with his left arm.

"But I'm wearing a skirt!" She hissed, trying to pry his arm off as she glared at him. He cocked an eyebrow at her,

"So?"

"SO!" She growled low, "Any guy over here is going to see up my skirt!"

"Teh. Don't flatter yourself." He answered with a roll of his eyes and, before she could say anything else, he rocketed them both straight into the clouds.

Meanwhile, down below, Master Roshi took off his sunglasses to get a better view.

"Yahoo! I saw them!" He cried out in joy, making everyone turn and give him a strange look.


End file.
